Nutshell: A Short Fic
by Bittah
Summary: Realistic twist on life today with a delirious bit of Newsies added in.


Nutshell: A short fic  
  
A teenage girl sat slumped over with sleep in the little white cab she rode to school every day. If one looked closer they would see her face wrenched up in pain, her dream stabbing very close to her heart. She was jolted awake by the screeching of the cab driver missing the back entrance to the building her school was located in. She heard him curse and just sighed, gathering her things. He dropped her off at the familiar truck entrance, a few teachers watching over some of the other kids as they had their first cigarette of the day.  
  
She coughed into her arm as the smoke blew into her already clogged nose. She had been sick for months and depressed for even more. She slowly made her way up the concrete steps and pulled her black hoody closer to her body, almost dropping her few scattered books. She opened the old gray door and prayed she would make it up the stairs today without falling. She already felt the start of a fever this early in the day and stopped by the vending machines to buy a bottle of milk, hoping that it would miraculously cure her illnesses that seemed to only get worse with time.  
  
The only thing that kept her from staying home was the fact that her mother didn't have a steady job. She had finally starting substitute teaching again, but still had not gotten many chances to teach. The poor girl had a hard time being around her parents for too long. She often found them more of the problem than the solution, most of her therapists trying to convince her to believe just the opposite. She drank her milk sleepily as she made her way to her homeroom, or what the school called a mentor group.  
  
The only things she looked forward to in school were art class and seeing her few new friends. She had previously lost her old friends, due to their immaturity. They found her problems as too much of a burden to stick around for much longer, after being sent to this special school. She found comfort in the company of her new classmates, feeling accepted, but not especially close to any of them.  
  
She had taken to isolating herself from any type of help or concern. She didn't believe anyone cared anymore. Her parents had verbally abused her too many times during her sensitive periods and her friends helped to show her that she sincerely could not trust people anymore. She hugged her hoody close to her as she sat down across from a dark-haired boy in a ratted black hoody and old, worn through, baggy jeans. He smiled and stuck his tongue out at her revealing a tongue-ring.  
  
She couldn't help but laugh and feel glad to be here at school instead of home. "Cab miss the entrance again Mel?" he asked her, a smile on his face.  
  
Melody rolled her eyes and just nodded, "He's gonna get us killed one a' these days," she muttered, a smirk crawling over her face. Joel was a fairly nice guy. She didn't like the fact that he practically lived on weed, but she wasn't one to be judgmental.  
  
Her light blue eyes flickered as her teacher, Sheila, left the room for a moment.  
  
"Kitchen?" Joel asked, seeing Melody get up, knowing very well that that was not where she was headed.  
  
Melody smiled widely and just nodded, leaving the room and going the opposite way from the old decaying room the school dared to call a kitchen. She smiled as she saw the dark-skinned woman talking on her cell phone at her desk of the next room over, not even noticing when Melody slipped through the door. Melody quickly rolled her eyes at her close friend Natalie, the teacher's ear never seeming to part from the cheap cell phone. Natty was the only kid at that school that Melody felt comfortable talking to about serious issues. She didn't completely trust her, but rather just enjoyed the concern she showed for her; the concern she had not had in quite a long time.  
  
Natty pulled her into a hug and sweetly asked how she was. "Shitty as usual," Melody replied, sitting down next to her, the teacher still not noticing that she was there.  
  
"Awww, what's wrong sweetie?" she asked, a true look of care on her face.  
  
"Sick like usual, I can't seem ta get bettah," Melody muttered.  
  
"I'm sorry hon," she said, kissing the top of her head like she was her child.  
  
"No physical contact," the teacher, Gina, said from behind her desk, still not noticing that Melody was in the wrong class.  
  
They both laughed and Gina finally realized who was there. "Mel, Sheila's probably looking for you," she said, not really wanting to get rid of her.  
  
Melody smiled, "Aw, fine," she said, pouting as she got up from her chair.  
  
She slipped back into her homeroom. "Wheah were you?" Sheila asked.  
  
Melody laughed, "Kitchen," she muttered.  
  
Joel cracked up, "Oh yeah, they move the kitchen?" he asked.  
  
Melody glared at him and just laughed it off. The rest of the day went by as smoothly as it could, which wasn't smooth at all. She started feeling worse and worse and ended up working on one of her Newsies' fan fictions instead of doing any other work, but the teachers did not seem to notice in the least bit. Mel was on her way to lunch when she felt her head spin suddenly, darkness soon surrounding her.  
  
She next woke up to the sun glaring in her eyes. She yawned and looked around her. She was not in the dreary building that she called school anymore that was for sure. The scene around her seemed slightly familiar and she suddenly realized with surprise where she was. Her clothes were dirty and faded, her hair shorter and a gray cap lying on her pillow next to her head. A small girl poked her and then ran away as a voice screamed behind her for everyone to get up.  
  
Melody grumbled some obscenities and rolled out of bed. She tucked her hair up in her cap and looked around the room. All the girls' seemed a bit familiar and soon she found names popping up into her head. A brown haired girl with vivid blue eyes came over and hugged her tightly. "Hey Bittah, sleep well?" she asked.  
  
Melody smiled, in awe at all of this. "Yeah Topsy, jist had a weird dream dat's all," she said, picking up the New York accent easily.  
  
"Really, bout anything interestin'?" the petite girl asked as the two were shooed out of the bunkroom.  
  
Bitter smirked, "Yeah, de future," she said  
  
Topsy laughed, "Must 'av been interestin'," she said. Bitter laughed a long with her. Topsy was the kind of girl that got along with everyone, and she was Bitter's best friend. She was always there for her dear friend and one could even say she was the closest thing you could get to a truly perfect friend.  
  
"Spot's late ain't he?" Topsy said suddenly as they sat down in the lobby, waiting.  
  
Bitter laughed and nodded. He came down a moment later and pulled her into a kiss. "Well good-mornin'," she said with a giggle. All this seemed so natural to Melody, she felt like she belonged here more than even back in her normal life.  
  
He smiled back at her, "Sell with me today?" he asked.  
  
She threw a side-glance to Topsy who nodded in approval and Bitter took off with Spot. Her day was full of love and happiness, praying that she would never have to go back to the wretched life of hers that she had left behind for a reason she could not even begin to comprehend.  
  
Spot decided to take Bitter and Topsy on a little walk later that day. He said he had some surprise to show them. They were making there way to the edge of Brooklyn when tough looking boys appeared all around them. Spot automatically jumped into a fight, Bitter following his lead, and Topsy trying not to hurt anyone, crouching in a corner of the alley. It was a sincere attempt by Topsy, but Bitter soon found herself defending her friend against the advancing boys, making sure she didn't get hurt. One of the guys overtook her and threw her hard against the wall. She hit her head hard and began to slump to the ground. Spot chased off the rest of them as Topsy knelt down beside her.  
  
"Bittah, it's gonna be ok," Topsy whispered. "Yer me best friend an' I ain't gonna let ya die on me," she said.  
  
Spot came back and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're gonna be fine, jist keep yer eyes open," he said.  
  
She nodded and tried to keep them open as long as she could. Spot smiled at her as they tried to move her. They set her back down and Spot kissed her cheek. "I love you Bittah," he said, caringly.  
  
Topsy nodded, "I kinda like ya too, jist not like he does," she said with a little smirk.  
  
Bitter laughed, but then found the world spinning as pain filled her ears, the bump on her head hurting. "Mel?" both of them asked concerned. "Mel?"  
  
She kept hearing her name said over and over and when she next opened her eyes, her friends Joel and Natty were by her side, looking overly concerned.  
  
She smiled at them crazily and they both cracked up. "You ok? Ya scared me," Joel said, concerned as she rubbed her head.  
  
She nodded carefully, seeing the teachers rushing back and forth. "They didn't call an ambulance did they?" Melody asked.  
  
Natty smiled. "Uh, I guess you get to get that ride in the ambulance you've always said you wanted," she said, laughing a bit nervously. "Want me to try and come with you?" she asked, eying the paramedics suspiciously.  
  
Melody nodded, "I'd like that," she said, finding comfort as she rested dazedly on the stretcher, knowing that her friends were close by. 


End file.
